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Oswald Cobblepot (Batman 1966 TV Series)
* * * * * * | Weaknesses = | Equipment = * "Senseless" Umbrellas: Umbrellas that spun wildly and created small explosions upon receiving an electronic signal from the Penguin. Handed out around Gotham for free as part of the Penguin's "senseless" crimes, which sought to create umbrella-related chaos around Gotham without the expected follow-up robberies. * Monster Umbrella: An umbrella the size of a small building, launched from a special pad on the roof of the Penguin's "legitimate" umbrella shop. Had the Batbrella attached to its handle. * Batbrella: A colorful but otherwise ordinary-looking umbrella with a silver plaque on its handle. The handle secretly contained a tiny microphone, with which the Penguin listened in on Batman's deductions. * Knockout Umbrella: An umbrella that sprayed knockout gas from its tip. * Penguin Magnet: A powerful electromagnet that attracted the metal tools in the Batman and Robin's utility belts, effectively gluing the Dynamic Duo to the wall that it was attached to. * Bulletproof Umbrella: An umbrella that formed a bulletproof shield when expanded. Handle also contained an extendable metal hook. * Dry Ice Umbrella: An umbrella that emitted dry ice fumes to dispel steam and smoke. * De-Magnetizing Umbrella: An umbrella that, according to the Penguin, contained a "high-powered de-magnetizer coil" which could repair malfunctioning electronics; its handle also contained a "secret radio detector" that sounded in the presence of any listening devices. * "Emergency" Umbrellas: Umbrellas that spun around and spewed confetti upon receiving a signal from the Penguin's main umbrella. | Transportation = * Penguin Line: A steel cable with a grappling hook attached to one end, fired with a special catapult. Meant to create a zip-line between two buildings, with a set of giant umbrellas hanging from the cable for riders to hang on to. * Batmobile:Batman (1966 TV Series) Episode: Not Yet, He Ain'tBatman (1966 Movie) For a short time, the Penguin briefly possessed the Batmobile, which he renamed the "Birdmobile," and accordingly redecorated. * Penguin-Sub | Weapons = * Penguin Gas, whose chemical composition was unknown but which, presumably, combined an anesthetic with a central-nervous-system depressant. * Cement-Filled Umbrella: An umbrella made extremely heavy due to being filled with cement; when thrown, can knock out a grown man in one hit. * Umbrella Guns: Umbrellas that could act as both air-soft guns and real firearms, capable of firing both pellets and live ammunition. | Notes = Behind the Scenes The Penguin was portrayed by Burgess Meredith, who was perhaps best known before this for his various roles on the original version of The Twilight Zone, most famously as Henry Bemis in "Time Enough At Last." Prior to Burgess, the producers of Batman had offered actor Spencer Tracy the role of the Penguin. Tracy allegedly stated that he would agree to the role on the condition that his character would be allowed to kill Batman in the show's final episode; when the show's producers refused, Tracy passed up the part. According to the notes of series producer William Dozier, by the time the first of the Penguin episodes - "Fine Feathered Finks"/"The Penguin's A Jinx" - had been written, the part of the Penguin had been designated to actor Mickey Rooney. Rooney's other projects at the time, however, led to scheduling conflicts that ultimately resulted in Meredith getting the role. In later years, Dozier would state that Meredith's Penguin was his favorite of the show's villains. Over the run of the show, Meredith would personally invent many new characteristics for the Penguin. The character's "waugh waugh" laugh, for instance, was invented by Meredith himself to cover up the cough that smoking the character's trademark cigarettes gave him. (In reality, Meredith had stopped smoking decades prior.) Meredith also gave the character a "waddle" style of walking, which he stated had been inspired by Charlie Chaplin's famed "Tramp" character. On his role as the Penguin, Meredith himself once told journalist James H. Burns for Starlog Magazine:Joel Eisner quoted this in The Official Batman Batbook. * In the 2016 animated film, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, the Penguin was voiced by William Salyers. Legacy Burgess Meredith's performance as the Penguin on the 1966 Batman was the first depiction of the character outside of comics, and was incredibly well-received during the show's original run. According to one account, this particular incarnation of the Penguin was so popular with audiences that the producers of Batman made sure to keep on hand at least one script featuring the Penguin at all times, just in case a clear spot came up in Meredith's schedule. In addition, many of the quirks that Meredith invented for this particular incarnation of Penguin would come to be identified with the character in general. The character's "waugh waugh" laugh, as well as his waddling gait, would be incorporated into future comics as well as subsequent television adaptations. References in Other Media This version of the Penguin continues to be remembered and beloved by thousands today, and as such, has been referenced in several other works: * Shortly after he had filmed his final episode on Batman, Burgess Meredith "reprised" his role as the Penguin on The Monkees, briefly appearing as one of the nightclub guests in the episode "The Monkees Blow Their Minds." * The Simpsons episode "The Falcon and the D'ohman" featured a brief appearance from the Penguin, who is shown as one of the many opponents in Wayne Slater's combat training. Here, the Penguin is seen accompanied by two henchmen in bowler hats and T-shirts printed with their names--an explicit reference to Meredith's Penguin. Merchandising * A figure of Burgess Meredith's portrayal of the Penguin has been confirmed to be part of Mattel's upcoming series of action figures based off of the 1966 Batman series.https://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=43752 | Trivia = * The Penguin's trademarks included bird-oriented crimes in the comics; his Burtonverse counterpart, acted out by Dante Daniel "Danny" DeVito, continued this practice, but his television counterpart did not. * Except that he wore a purple (rather than black) hat and a purple (rather than white) bow tie in character, Meredith's costume was essentially a classical black tail-suit, except that his vest (as Adam West explained to Jeff Rovin in Back To The Batcave) used actual penguin fur. * According to the episode "Fine Feathered Finks," the Penguin has a hideaway stationed in Alaska. * The Penguin appeared in nineteen episodes of Batman (in addition to the theatrical film), tying with the Joker for most commonly-appearing villain on the show. * Although it is assumed that the Penguin's real name was Oswald Cobblepot, as in the comic books, it was never used in the series. * Burgess Meredith was later offered a role in Tim Burton's Batman Returns as the Penguin's father. However, ill health (specifically, the Alzheimer's disease from which he was then suffering, complications of which eventually caused his death) dissuaded Meredith from taking the part. | DC = None | Wikipedia = Penguin (comics) | Links = * Bat-Mania UK's page on Meredith's Penguin }} Category:1966 Character Debuts Category:Monocles Category:Crimelords Category:Silver-Age Characters